History: Made by You: A New Approach from the Southern Oregon Historical Society

Abstract

Faced with severe budget cuts and a lack of space, the Southern Oregon Historical Society (SOHS) created an innovative traveling exhibit program called History: Made by You. Based on the concept of “shared authority” — the idea that history is made more accessible and relevant when experts partner with members of the community to create public programs — the program relies on public involvement. Two of the project developers, Amy Drake and Allison Weiss, describe the exhibit process in detail by focusing on a recent traveling installation on bicycle culture in Jackson County. They explain how community partnerships have shaped their professional understanding of the relationship between museums and the public, and how those relationships helped them broaden the definitions of museum and audience to include people stumbling across exhibits in public spaces.